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Transform a plain white or light colored garment by dyeing it a bright, vibrant hue. You can dye clothes using natural plant materials and chemical, store-bought dyes. The process is simple either way. Here's what you need to do.

Steps

Part 1

Preparing the Clothes and Workspace

1

Choose the proper dye. Most dyes work best on natural fabrics, so if you plan to dye a polyester or other synthetic garment, you might need to find a special dye blend or choose another garment.[1]

Choose a white or off-white item of clothing for the purest color.

Natural dyes work best with cotton, wool, silk, and muslin.

Chemical dyes work best with cotton, linen, silk, wool, and ramie. They also work well with rayon and nylon synthetic fabrics.

If you have a garment made from 60 percent dyeable fiber, like cotton, then you can usually dye it with a chemical dye even if the remaining fibers are not dyeable. Note, however, that the color will be much lighter than it would be with 100 percent dyeable fabrics.

Gather the plant material. Any plant material you decide to use needs to be in a ripe, mature state.

Fruit and berries need to be ripe.

Nuts need to be mature.

Blossoms should be in full bloom and near the end of their life cycle.

Seeds, leaves, and stems can be harvested as soon as they grow in.

4

Cut the plant material into small pieces. The plant material should be chopped into fine pieces using a kitchen knife. Transfer the plant material to a large stockpot.

The stockpot should be about twice as large as the clothes you plan to dye.

Cutting the material into fine pieces exposes more surface area, so the natural color of the material is drawn out more easily.

5

Simmer the dye. Fill the pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for roughly 60 minutes.

Use twice as much water as plant material.

6

Strain the dye. Pour the dye through a colander to remove the plant material from the liquid. Transfer the liquid back into your dyeing stockpot.

7

Simmer the clothes in the dye bath. Place your wet clothes in the dye bath and simmer together over medium heat until the desired color is achieved.

Note that the color will be lighter once it dries.

At minimum, you will need to let the clothes sit in the dye bath for 30 to 60 minutes.

For a rich shade, let the clothes sit in the dye bath 8 hours or overnight.

Stir the clothes in the dye bath occasionally to ensure even dyeing.

8

Wash dyed fabric in cold water. For the first washing, wash your dyed clothes in cold water apart from other garments.

The colors will run.

Dry your clothes using a dryer or by drying them in the sun.

Part 3

Chemical Dye, Stovetop Method

1

Simmer a stockpot of water. Fill a large stockpot three-quarters full with water. Bring it up to a simmer on your stove using medium heat.[3]

Use a 2-gallon (8-L) stockpot. Otherwise, you may not have enough room to adequately and evenly dye your clothes.

2

Add a fixative. For chemical dyes, the fixative should be added directly to the dye bath. The fixative should be determined based on the type of fabric your clothes are made from.

For natural fibers, like cotton and silk, add 1 cup (250 ml) of salt to the water as it comes to a boil.

For synthetic fibers, like nylon, add 1 cup (250 ml) of white vinegar to the water.

3

Add the dye solution to the water. You can use granular dye or liquid dye. Follow the instructions provided on the package to determine the correct amount of dye to use.

If using a box of powder dye, you will usually pour the entire package into the simmering water.

If using liquid dye, you will usually use half the bottle.

Stir the dye into the water until evenly dispersed.

4

Dunk your clothing item into the dye. Drop the clothing item into the dye bath until the entire garment is covered.

Use a mixing spoon to press the fabric completely beneath the surface.

5

Let the clothes simmer in the dye bath. Once the dye bath reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir the garment periodically to ensure even dyeing.

Do not cover the stockpot.

6

Rinse the clothing in running water. Carefully remove the clothes from the hot dye bath using two spoons and lift it until a metal sink. Run hot water over your garment, gradually decreasing the temperature until it reaches ice cold water and the water running off the garment turns clear.

Dump your dye bath in a metal sink to dispose of it.

A lot of dye will come out as you rinse the fabric. This is normal and inevitable.

Using ice cold water at the end sets the dye into the clothing.

7

Let the clothes air dry. Hang the clothes somewhere and let it dry completely.

Do not dry in a drying machine.

Place an old towel or rag beneath the clothing to catch any dripping dye as the item dries.

Part 4

Chemical Dye, Washing Machine Method

1

Fill your washing machine with hot water. Use the hottest water possible as long as it is safe for use with the type of fabric you are dyeing.

Set the washing machine to fill with enough water for a small load. If you fill the machine all the way, you will dilute the dye too much and end up with a faded garment.

2

Pour the dye into the water as the washing machine fills. Pour the dye into the water as the basin continues to fill.

Do not add the clothes yet.

By adding the dye to the machine as it fills with water, you do not need to stir it in. The rapid flow of water into the basin will stir the dye in well enough.

Follow package instructions for the chemical dye you choose to use. You will usually use a full package of powder dye or half a bottle of liquid dye.

Note that the clothes should be wet before you add them to the washing machine dye bath. Otherwise, the color will not set correctly.

4

Set the washing machine to a 30 minute cycle. Reset the washing cycle so that it takes a full 30 minutes to complete. Set the machine to a longer cycle if you want to produce a stronger color.

The advantage of the washing machine is that you do not need to stir the clothes as they sit in the dye bath. Instead, the washing machine will agitate the clothes for you.

5

Put the washing machine through another rinse cycle. Let the clothes go through a full rinse cycle in your washing machine to strain out some of the excess dye.

Use warm water for this rinse cycle. Warm water will draw out the excess dye more readily than cold water.

6

Wash the clothes with detergent in a normal cycle. Wash the clothes in a normal cycle with cold water and mild detergent.

The cold water will set the dye. Meanwhile, this wash cycle will wash the clothes, cleaning them after they have soaked in the dye bath.

Do not wash any other clothes with the dyed garments.

Dry the clothes in a dryer or by hanging them in the sunlight to dry.

7

Run your empty machine through another wash cycle. After you remove your dyed clothes from the washing machine, run your machine through another wash cycle to rinse out any excess dye and prepare it for your next load of laundry.

You should be able to use regular black fabric dye. The only thing to worry about would be if it has a zipper or accents like buttons, as they will likely not dye. (Or they might only partially stain and look odd, but that's less likely, depending on the materials they're made of.) If you're looking for natural options, you might try walnuts, iris roots, or carob pods. Do a little research on Google to find the proper technique for using these.

If my cotton is a light pumpkin color and I want it to be dull light tan, what color dye should I use?

Community Answer

Try to find a dye powder that best matches your ideal shade. You may have to use a darker tan to completely override the orange color. If nothing else works, you could completely bleach the shirt and then use tan dye powder.

Cut the prints and put the unprinted parts of the cloth in the washing machine, stovetop, or natural stove dye. Then, stitch the printings with with the dyed cloth. If needed, get help from a professional to stitch for you.

Tips

Use stainless steel or other metal buckets to dye and rinse your clothes. Do not use plastic or porcelain tubs since the dye will likely stain them.

Keep in mind that different fabrics react to the same color dye in different ways. Even dyeable fabrics will take on a slightly different shade due to fiber content and weight. As a result, if a garment you dye has sections made from different materials, these sections will be slightly different shades of the same color.

Protect your hands and outfit by wearing disposable gloves and a smock or apron. To be on the safe side, wear clothes that you do not mind ruining or dirtying when dyeing other clothing.

Warnings

When using chemical dyes, check the package for specific instructions and allergy information. Chemical dyes are usually safe, but some can contain elements that pose a slight allergy risk that you should be aware of.[4]

To dye clothes, begin by soaking a clean, damp piece of clothing in a mixture of water and either salt or vinegar for 1 hour before rinsing it in cold water. Then, prepare a dye by boiling plants, fruits, or nuts in a large pot for 60 minutes. For example, boil blackberries or walnut hulls to make black dye or create green dye using grass. Next, strain the boiled liquid and put the dye and clothes back in the pot to simmer for 1 hour. For a richer color, you can let the clothing sit in the dye overnight before rinsing it in cold water. To learn how to dye synthetic fabrics like polyester using a chemical dye, read on!

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wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 18 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 597,091 times.